Mary Shaffer's Blog

People often ask me what Wick and Arrow is like. (Narnia? LOTR? Harry Potter?) It's hard to answer because Wick and Arrow doesn't have one primary influence. Just for fun, I put together a list of books that belong on the same shelf as Wick and Arrow... for very different reasons. Some of these could be called inspirations or influences for my book. Some are for children. Some are for childlike adults. All are full of wonder. If you enjoyed Wick and Arrow, you might enjoy some of these...

You can help put Wick and Arrow on the shelves of your local library! Simply log into your library account, locate the “Request a Title” form, and fill it out with the...

So humbled and grateful that Wick and Arrow was selected as one of Bookmobile’s favorite books that they printed in 2025. Read more here:

https://www.bookmobile.com/opinion/our-favorite-books-of-2025/

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My fantasy novel Wick and Arrow, a fairy tale for grownups loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” makes for a perfect book club read due to its rich imagery and themes that are meant to be deeply pondered.

I’ve put together some discussion questions below, as well as guidance on how to invite the author to make an appearance at your book club!

Lastly, use this discount code for 15% seven books or more: BOOKCLUB

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Thank you so much to all my friends, family, and fans who attended the launch party for Wick and Arrow on August 10th, 2025, at Pioneer Park in Stillwater, MN. What an amazing time we all had! It was my one and only debut novel launch party, and I think it was the best one I could have possibly had!

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This 5-star review was originally posted on NetGalley by reviewer Lyre Kestrel. See it also on The Story Graph.

Thank you to Mary Shaffer, Inscape Books, Victory Editing, and Net Galley for this ARC!

⭐️- Personal Preference
I’m thankful I found and requested this book, as it was easily the most beautiful thing I’ve read this entire year. No other book has made me feel so vividly, or cry because of how beautiful it was. This book was exactly the classic fairytale ...

The most frequent question I’m getting as Wick and Arrow becomes available for preorder is, “Who is it for?” Is it for children? Teens? Adults? What is its vibe? What i...

Yesterday was a pretty great day. In the morning I sent the files for my paperback novel off to Bookmobile, an esteemed local bookmaker in Minneapolis. In the afternoon...

I need your help to fund the design and deluxe printing of my folkloric fantasy novel! ...

At long last, Wick and Arrow has a front cover! My strong opinions about what the cover (and the rest of the book design) was supposed to look like is one of the reasons I chose to independently publish my folkloric fantasy novel loosely based on “The Snow Queen.” Because the writing style of this book is a contemporary echo of the quirky, wonder-filled, often pensive storytelling of Tolkien’s immediate predecessors—Hans Christian Andersen, Oscar Wilde, and George MacDonald—I wanted the design t...